Select Frequency #5

Your weekly dose of carefully curated chaos

Heya! Welcome back to Select Frequency, the recurring series where the notoriously international bunch of writers at gatekeep! cook a 10-song playlist for you and you only. Summer’s still here, so here are the tunes I keep jamming during these (too) hot days - nothing more, nothing less than pure unadulterated love for music with little to no coherence. woo!

1. Todd Terje - Delorean Dynamite

2. Pino d’Angio - Okay Okay

3. PinkPantheress - Romeo

4. Boldy James & The Alchemist ft. ICECOLDBISHOP - Hot Water Tank

5. Lunatic - Pas l’temps pour les regrets

6. Deathspell Omega - Apokatastasis Pantôn

7. Alexisonfire - Boiled Frogs

8. The Beths - Future Me Hates Me

9. Black Sabbath - Changes

10. Fontaines D.C. - Favourite

Todd Terje - “Delorean Dynamite”

from It’s Album Time // 2014 // Space Disco - Synthwave

I don’t know why, but when Todd Terje dives into space disco like he does on “Delorean Dynamite” (the name says it all innit), it conjures this bizarrely specific vision of cocktail music for the ultra-bourgeois, the kind of soundtrack piped through crystalline speakers at sunset lounges on Zegema Beach. You can almost hear it echoing off the synthetic cliffs, as the final trust fund kids of the galaxy — already halfway drunk on blue martinis and high on the finest Outer Rim cocaine — recline into designer beanbags made from extinct pelts. These are people so deeply steeped in irony and self-caricature that the line between mockery and identity collapsed decades ago. They don’t just tolerate the clichés — they wear them like ceremonial robes, engaging in performative intellectualism and cosmic small talk with the sort of seriousness that borders on the devotional. I like to imagine these fuckers wearing fever-dream haute couture made of capes that shimmer like solar flares, glasses three sizes too large, holographic cravats, all custom-made to look effortless and deranged at once. And through all that maniacal image, “Delorean Dynamite” pulses — synthetic, euphoric, detached — like the heartbeat of a civilization that knows it’s a farce, but chooses to dance anyway.

Pino d’Angio - “Ma quale idea”

from …Balla! // 1981 // Italo-Disco

I just got married :)

My wife is of Italian descent, and Italo-Disco has been a staple in our rotation since the dawn of our relationship. The breezy sensuality of the Italian language pairs extremely well with disco’s bomb-ass-thickness: that velvety funk, those playful synths, and the unapologetic groove match the Italian vibe all too well. And at the heart of it all stands “Ma quale idea” (but what an idea in Cole Palmer’s language) by Pino D’Angiò. With his talk-sung delivery, swaggering bassline, and a vibe that calls for Aperol Spritz, Pino helped shape the DNA of Italo-Disco by blurring the lines between disco, funk, and Italian cultura, and in doing so, became one of those rare artists whose influence you feel even if you’ve never heard his name. For me, Pino’s influence goes beyond music: his songs aren’t just songs - they are my lifelong soundtrack.

PinkPantheress - “Romeo”

from Fancy That // 2025 // Dance-Pop - Liquid Drum and Bass

PinkPantheress has always had a knack for channeling the ghosts of past pop eras — early 2000s alt-rock, UK garage, or drum and bass — but until now, it often felt accidental (apologies pinky if it wasn’t!). Tracks like “last valentines” echoed the angst and melodrama of Linkin Park, but not in a way that screamed homage — more like she absorbed it all through cultural osmosis and filtered it through her bedroom-pop sensibility. But with “Romeo”, which samples Basement Jaxx’s “Good Luck”, that referential instinct finally feels fully intentional. It’s not just nostalgia — it’s reconstruction. She lifts the guitar hook, recontextualizes it, and makes it feel both modern and deeply personal. Just for that, “Romeo” is a turning point — not because it looks back, but because it finally knows how to look back with purpose.

Boldy James & The Alchemist ft. ICECOLDBISHOP - “Hot Water Tank”

from Super Tecmo Bo // 2021 // Boom Bap - Gangsta Rap

Boldy James’ run with The Alchemist in 2020–2021 marks the most consistent and creatively vital stretch of any Griselda-affiliated artist — a cold-blooded trilogy that fused Alchemist’s dusty, minimalist soul loops with Boldy’s deadpan precision to redefine what modern coke rap could be. While Manger on McNichols remains the rapper’s creative peak — a collage jazz rap masterpiece with Sterling Toles — the two Bo Jackson records stand as his iconic statement, pairing mythic weight with streetwise detail. Those titles aren’t accidental: Jackson wasn’t just an athlete, but a once-in-a-generation myth — the only person to ever make All-Star status in two professional sports (NFL and MLB). That man didn't just play sports; he transcended them and became a legend through sheer impossibility. That's the underlying metaphor here: Boldy isn't just running in two lanes — he's dominating both the streets and the studio (“They call me Bo Jack 'cause I run pills and I dump base”).

Likewise, beatmaker Alchemist is not just providing beats — he's curating atmospheres, dropping needlepoint drums and dusty loops with the precision of someone who’s studied Madlib, Dilla, and Muggs, then stepped outside their shadows to become the defining beatmaker of the 2020s.

On “Hot Water Tank,” the duo lets ICECOLDBISHOP crash the scene like a lunatic prophet, shrieking his verse with such unhinged energy it threatens to tear the track apart — but instead injects it with manic electricity, contrasting perfectly with Boldy’s ice-veined calm. It’s a jarring, brilliant move — one that underlines just how far Boldy & The Alchemist are willing to push their sound without ever losing control.

Lunatic - “Pas l’temps pour les regrets”

from Mauvais Oeil // 2000 // French Hip Hop - Gangsta Rap

If you’ve ever wondered what it would sound like if Illmatic was recorded in the Parisian suburbs with nothing but cold steel and unfiltered rage — Lunatic’s Mauvais Oeil (“Evil Eye”) is your answer. The legendary French rap duo of Ali and Booba (yeah now I know that his name is funny) didn’t just craft a classic — it’s the blueprint for hardcore French rap. Even if you don’t speak a word of French, the mood cuts through: icy beats, dead-serious flows, and an atmosphere thick with paranoia and nihilism. Think Mobb Deep levels of menace, but with metagore (gore metaphor) and verlan (French slang that flips syllables in words). It’s not about flashy punchlines or club appeal — it’s about survival and cold-blooded precision, where every word feels like it was carved in concrete.

Deathspell Omega - “Apokatastasis Pantôn”

from Paracletus // 2010 // Dissonant Black Metal - Post-Metal

“Apokatastasis Panton” sounds like a maelstrom descending into the seven layers of hell. French lads Deathspell Omega do not simply play black metal; they invoke it like a theological curse, dragging the listener through collapsing structures of sound that feel less like music and more like metaphysical punishment. The guitars spiral like serpents in torment, drums lash out in polyrhythmic spasms, and the vocals emerge not as a voice but as a cyclopean indictment. There’s no traditional progression here, only descent: a slow spiral downward through dissonant chaos, until even the concept of salvation (apokatastasis panton — the restoration of all things) feels like a cruel joke whispered at the edge of annihilation. It's black metal as philosophical abyss — a liturgy for the damned, dense with contradiction and biblical horror.

Alexisonfire - “Boiled Frogs”

from Crisis // 2006 // Post-Hardcore

Some people run to EDM or rap for the rhythm, but for me, it’s post-hardcore that keeps the legs going. Most specifically, Alexisonfire have got this perfect storm of intensity and structure that makes them ideal for running. Their sound hits that rare sweet spot: aggressive enough to keep your adrenaline up, but also controlled and dynamic enough to carry you through longer stretches without burning out. The drums are tight and driving — not technical, but full of momentum —, the bass laying just under the guitars gives it enough low-end to drive momentum without muddying the attack, and said guitars are, from a mixing point of view, lovely split between the the crunch of the rhythmic guitar and the atmospheric leads swirling in the background. But the real magic is in the vocals — the contrast between George Pettit's raw, almost desperate screams and Dallas Green's smooth, soaring melodies creates this emotional push-pull that mirrors what running often feels like: a battle between pain and release. Every chorus feels like a mini breakthrough, every breakdown like a surge of power. Alexisonfire doesn’t just hype you up — they mirror the run itself: bursts of intensity, moments of clarity, and the steady grind in between. It’s not just music to run to — it’s music that runs with you.

The Beths - “Future Me Hates Me”

from Future Me Hates Me // 2018 // Power pop

When it comes to simple genres of music that are just meant to have fun (yeah), power pop is my go-to. No pretension, no need to decode layers of symbolism — just punchy rhythms, jangly electric guitars, and pop melodies that feel like they were made to be shouted in your bedroom or blasted from car speakers. It’s the kind of music that doesn’t overthink itself — and lets you stop overthinking, too. The Beths nail that formula perfectly, specifically because they don’t overthink it. It’s power pop at its sharpest and most direct, transforming spiraling self-doubt into something joyfully anthemic. There’s anxiety in the lyrics, sure, but it’s delivered with such warmth and melodic clarity that even regret sounds like something you can sing-along to. That’s the magic — taking emotional chaos and wrapping it in a hook so good, you forget to be sad until the song ends.

Black Sabbath - “Changes”

from Vol. 4 // 1971 // Singer-Songwriter - Piano Rock

RIP my man :(

Like Ozzy, we’re all going through changes.

“Changes” captures the quiet devastation of time passing — not through fiery rupture, but through the slow erosion of what once felt unshakeable. We tend to imagine change as sudden, dramatic, even cinematic — but most of the time, it’s barely perceptible, like the way friends grow apart: no falling out, no harsh words, just a gentle drift, like two boats slowly veering off in different directions until the shoreline between them vanishes. That’s the kind of change this song mourns — not the chaos of transformation, but the melancholy of inevitability.

Yeah, of course I’ve changed — and thank god i did. And yet beneath it all, I’m still the same boi I’ve always been. The external world might shift, people might come and go, but there’s a thread of self that stays intact — quietly, stubbornly, I remain myself despite all the external changes.

Fontaines D.C. - “Favourite”

from Romance // 2024 // Jangle Pop - Indie Rock

Fontaines D.C. might just be the greatest rock band of the 2020s — not because they reinvent the wheel (they absolutely do not and never will), but because they make it spin like it matters again. There’s something raw and magnetic about them that cuts across genre lines; even friends who couldn’t care less about rock end up going crazy for them. It’s the conviction, the urgency, the way they channel vulnerability without pretense. And “Favourite” is the perfect closer of theirs: tender, unguarded, almost whispered — a soft comedown after all the grit and weight that came before. It doesn’t beg for attention, but it stays with you, as if you’ve always known it. I really feel like I’ve known this song for the past thirty years.

woo! Select Frequency will return next week see ya!!!

wanna more of our impeccable taste? here ya go:

Select Frequency #1 (Benjamin Jack)

Select Frequency #2 (K. Bowman)

Select Frequency #3 (Ben Rosenberg)

Select Frequency #4 (Hugh Puddles)